Journals Of A Young Pharmacist

7 Important Facts Everyone Should Know About Paracetamol

Paracetamol is the most popular pain-killer found in almost every household, it is easily the first-choice drug used to treat all sorts of human-body aches.
In 2015, The Health and Social Care Information Centre data revealed; paracetamol has been prescribed 22.9 million times in the England community sector, making it the 14th most popular prescribed drug. In comparison to anti-inflammatory drugs, paracetamol is portrayed as the safest pain-killer in the world.

Is paracetamol really safe? What is paracetamol? How does paracetamol work? What else don’t we know about paracetamol?

Fact One: Paracetamol is also known as acetaminophen and has been clinically used since 1893.

Fact Two: Following series of chemical sequencing acetanilide and phenacetin is metabolised to paracetamol as shown below.

Fact Three: No one knows how paracetamol truly works. Best theory is; it increases pain threshold in the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord).

Fact Four: Paracetamol does not interact with other medication. UNLESS if taken with other paracetamol-containing drugs such as co-codamol which will then cause overdose.

Fact Seven: Paracetamol has various formulations; oral solution, soluble tablet, caplet, capsule, suppositories. NOTE people with high blood pressure should avoid the soluble tablet due to the salt content.